Safavieh continues to grow fledgling furniture program
By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, July 30, 2007
Las Vegas — Rug and accent furniture specialist Safavieh Home Furnishings is adding pieces to its Urban collection and launching a French-styled collection called Normandy.
The transitional Urban collection was first previewed here in January. Since then it has undergone major changes including different woods and a new finish, said Dick Miller, director of sales for the company's wholesale furniture division.
The collection, which includes 10 to 15 new accent chests, originally was made with ash veneers and hardwood solids. It is now made with beech veneers and hardwood solids and comes in a high-gloss finish that hides the grain.
Other new accent pieces include a Dorset wine cabinet and secretary priced at $599 and $559, respectively. These pieces are available in black, cherry, gray and white finishes.
Another new Urban item is the Gina side table, a Louis XVI chairside piece made of solid weathered oak that retails at $219.
Two dining tables also are new in the collection, including an oval extension table and an oval pedestal version. Chairs are available in two styles — a fully upholstered version with wenge wood trim and an open X-back with an upholstered seat.
The Urban collection also has 10 new upholstery frames, Miller said.
Designed in France, Normandy features 20 to 25 occasional and accent pieces in solid oak and alder, available in various antiqued, distressed and traditional oak finishes. An example is the three-drawer serpentine Nancy chest of solid French oak. Retailing at $1,199, it comes in four antiqued finishes and two traditional oak finishes.
The Nice commode is another $1,199, three-drawer chest that comes in four antiqued finishes, including a heavily distressed French antique blue. Other pieces — including the $639 Peggy commode — have an antique noir finish and antique oak tops.
Such pieces would normally be produced by source factories in France, Miller said. But Safavieh is sourcing them in China, enabling it to cut prices by about 70%, he said.
Finishes in both groups, particularly the rustic and distressed finishes, are geared towards western consumers, Miller said.
Some items, including goods it test markets in its own stores, will be available for shipping in as little as two weeks from the time of the order. But most, including those with new finishes, will take a while longer.
"The goal is for us to get orders in the summertime and be ready to ship for the fall selling season," Miller said.
The company shows in the World Market Center, A-101.
